Hamilton hopes not to miss month

December 07, 2012|By K.C. Johnson, Tribune reporter

Chicago Bulls players Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng help carry teammate Richard Hamilton off the court after he suffered an injury in the second half against the 76ers on Saturday. (Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune)

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. --- Speaking for the first time since an MRI revealed a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, Bulls shooting guard Richard Hamilton said team officials told him he could miss up to a month with his injury.

"They said four weeks," Hamilton said before the Bulls' morning shootaround at a local high school. "But they said I could probably come back before that. Everybody’s body is different."

Hamilton suffered the injury late in the third quarter of the Bulls' victory over the 76ers last Saturday. He returned to clinch the victory with late-game free throws but said he heard "something pop" while making the jump pass that led to the injury. So the MRI results didn't surprise him.

"I thought the tape exploded on my foot," Hamilton said. "In talking to the doctor, he told me that it was a good thing that happened. When you have plantar fasciitis, it tends to stick with players all year. If you pop it, it’s actually a good thing. Once it heals, it’s OK."

Hamilton will miss his third straight game on Friday, which is against the Pistons franchise with which he once won a championship.

"This is a game I got on my calendar," he said. "This is the one game you mark before the season even starts, saying I can’t wait. To be injured is frustrating."

Hamilton said he is icing the injury, using electrical stimulation on it and getting massages. Asked what he is doing to maintain his cardiovascular endurance, the notoriously conditioned athlete said, "I don't get out of shape."

Hamilton endured an injury-plagued first season with the Bulls last season. He was off to a solid start this season, averaging 13.9 points in 15 starts on 45.5 percent shooting.

"It’s getting a little better every day," Hamilton said. "We’re working hard on it, trying to get flexibility, trying to get the swelling and the blood that’s in there down. There hasn’t been a setback or anything like that."